Ganga Shreedhar

Ganga is an Assistant Professor in Behavioural Science at the LSE. She is also:

• Co-director of the LSE’s MSc in Behavioural Science programme
• Affiliate of the Department of Geography and Environment
• Associate at LSE’s Inclusion Initiative

Background

Ganga is an applied behavioural and experimental economist studying how to change human behaviour in ways that simultaneously benefit people and the planet. Her research examines how individual and contextual factors motivate environmental and ecological choices across different consumer and citizen lifestyle domains (e.g., diet, food waste, fashion, altruistic actions like giving time and money) and how they can be deployed in behaviourally ‘smart’ informational campaigns, nudges, and incentives to create sustainable habits. She uses experimental and data science methods. She has completed a PhD in Environmental Economics and a Master’s in Public Administration at the LSE, and a Master’s in Development Studies at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. Prior to academia, she worked with the International Food Policy Research Institute on agricultural and food security policy in India, Nepal, China, and Tajikistan.

Current projects include:

1. forestLAB: Explores conservation behaviour and attitudes amongst rural and urban communities in Gabon. In partnership with The African Conservation Development Group, LSE’ Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, Gabon’s National Research Institute and the University of Stirling.
2. Tackling Water Scarcity in Kuwait: Promoting sustainable household consumption: Explores the impact of people’s attitudes and beliefs underlying willingness to pay for water conservation and consumption habits in Kuwait. Awarded by LSE’s Middle East Centre Kuwait Programme Research Grant.
3. Incentivising Acceptability of Climate Change Mitigation Measures in the GCC: Explores people’s willingness to pay for emissions reduction policies and to adopt associated low-carbon lifestyles in GCC countries in partnership with Canadian University Dubai. Awarded by LSE’s Middle East Centre as part of their LSE Academic Collaboration with Arab Universities Programme.

Research Interests

• Behavioural environmental economics
• Ecological economics
• Environmental Psychology
• Conservation marketing
• Behavioural Public Policy
• Lab and Field experiments
• Consumer and citizen environmental behaviours and habits;
• Nature and wildlife conservation